In the News

Premier Wu greenlights Taoyuan County upgrade

• Publication Date：12/14/2010
• Source： United Daily News

Premier Wu Den-yih approved Dec. 13 the upgrade of Taoyuan County to the status of provisional special municipality effective Jan. 1, 2011.

The Executive Yuan had originally planned to greenlight the upgrade in mid-October, but Wu delayed approval at that time, saying Taoyuan’s population would first have to surpass 2 million.

As of Dec. 13, the county’s total population stood at just over 2,001,400.

Taoyuan will become the second county in Taiwan to have the status of a provisional special municipality after Taipei County was upgraded to that status in October 2007.

Taipei County, meanwhile, will be promoted to the special municipality of Xinbei City Dec. 25.

With the upgrade, Taoyuan’s revenues, including money from a higher percentage of tax redistribution funds allocated to special municipalities, will increase by more than NT$8 billion (US$281 million) in total, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Also, in accordance with the Local Government Act, the Executive Yuan has granted approval for the provisional special municipality government to add 1,383 public servants to its staff and increase the number of agencies to 27 from the current 26. (SB)